Ding~
Dong~
The new adjustable alarm clock placed in the corner made a noisy noise.
Liang Yao, who was hungover, reluctantly left the warm bed. He poured a glass of water, walked to the table and checked his recent schedule.
According to the arrangement, he will leave for San Francisco today to check the progress of the construction of the commercial street. Tomorrow is the birthday of Sheriff Flagg's wife, Evelyda, so he can visit Flagg with some gifts.
During the days of business war with Brannan, Flagg provided him with a lot of help.
Without Flagg's help, the violent conflict between him and Brannan in San Francisco would probably not be just sporadic gunfire, and the construction of San Francisco's commercial street would not be so smooth.
Although Brannan is arrogant and domineering and is known as the King of California, in public, Flagg is still the sheriff of San Francisco.
Strauss is a very hardworking person, or more precisely, a hardworking and smart person. His ability is much better than Jones.
Liang Yao had just finished washing up when Strauss was already standing at the door waiting for him.
Although his beard and hair were relatively long, they were neatly trimmed and looked pleasing to the eye. He was not as sloppy as Sven, who also had long hair and a beard.
Strauss, dressed in a suit and tie, stood upright at the door and said.
"Boss, Mr. Stanford wants to see you. He said he wants to talk to you alone about something."
Stanford did not attend their banquet yesterday and disappeared halfway through. Liang Yaodu thought that Stanford had returned to San Francisco.
Through the conversation with Ge Wen at the dinner table yesterday, Liang Yao has been able to confirm that this Leland Stanford is the founder of Stanford University, the first true governor of California in the future, the president of the Central Pacific Railroad, and one of the top ten tycoons of the Gilded Age.
If an ordinary person can achieve just one of the above achievements, he would be considered a rare talent, let alone if he achieves all of the above achievements at once.
The most outstanding work of the Central Pacific Railroad Company is the western section of the Pacific Railroad, which is the most difficult and worst section to construct, because this section of the railway has to pass through the Nevada Mountains, which are steep and rugged.
The Pacific Railroad was the first transcontinental railroad in North America and was known as an industrial miracle at the time.
Buried beneath this miracle are the bodies of Chinese workers who were lured to America to pan for gold.
They came to California with the dream of making a fortune in gold rush, but were eventually lured to Nevada to build railroads. The only reward they received was a generous salary from the Pacific Railroad Company, which was only about 3% of the salary of white workers.
In order to earn this 3% salary, more than 15,000 Chinese workers of the Central Pacific Railroad had to work longer hours than white workers. Their work was also more arduous and more dangerous.
"Didn't Stanford return to San Francisco yesterday?" Liang Yao took a sip of water to moisten his throat and sat down.
"Mr. Stanford was walking around Sacramento yesterday."
"I heard that Stanford runs two stores in San Francisco, one selling miners' supplies and the other selling daily necessities. You also opened a store in San Francisco. How much do you know about him?"
"Mr. Stanford is arguably the most successful store owner in San Francisco. He can always purchase goods from Mr. Brannan at a lower price, and the rent of his store is also the lowest." Strauss hesitated to speak.
Gold miners' supplies and daily necessities are Brannan's core businesses. He didn't expect that Stanford could make these two businesses flourish in San Francisco.
Ge Wen told him that Stanford was an excellent young lawyer who had helped him with several troublesome cases.
It now appears that Stanford is not only an excellent lawyer, but also a businessman with ulterior motives.
"It seems you haven't finished speaking."
Liang Yao put down the water glass and glanced at Strauss who seemed to be hesitant to speak.
"Based on my personal intuition about Mr. Stanford, Stanford is similar to Brannan in some ways. His daily necessities store is less than 20 yards away from my store. The location and business of this store are both very good. It was originally run by my fellow townsman."
"So, this Stanford is not a good person either."
No matter how capable Brannan is, he is at best just a nouveau riche. Stanford, on the other hand, is a professional lawyer who is good at exploiting legal loopholes. Such a person is much more difficult to deal with than Brannan.
Strauss smiled bitterly: "If Mr. Stanford could have come to California earlier, the King of California might not be Mr. Brannan."
"I understand. Let him in." Liang Yao nodded. He decided to meet Stanford.
Under the guidance of Strauss, Stanford walked into Liang Yao's office with confident steps.
After pouring Stanford a cup of tea, Strauss stood behind Liang Yao so that he could be on standby at any time.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Liang, I need to talk to you alone about this matter." Stanford looked at Strauss behind Liang Yao, turned to Liang Yao and said.
"Strauss, wait for me at the door." "Yes, boss."
Strauss nodded in agreement, then walked out of the office and closed the door quietly.
"What can I do for you, Mr. Stanford?"
Liang Yao stared at Stanford with interest. Thinking of what Stanford did later, it was hard for him to have a good impression of Stanford.
"I know you want to bring down Brannan. I have a way to send him to jail without spending a penny, even 1 cent."
"Go on, Mr. Stanford." Liang Yao looked at Stanford with amusement.
"Mr. Liang, you don't know that in addition to running two small shops, I am also Brannan's legal advisor. You know, in California, a lawless place, there are not many people who are well versed in the law."
As he spoke, Stanford pulled out a thick stack of documents from his briefcase and continued.
"It is well known that Brannan's crimes in California are numerous and sufficient to send him to the gallows. The Territory is governed by the laws of the United States, and we can use them to bring Brannan to justice.
According to federal law, Brannan's illegal gains will be turned over to the federal government, his real estate will be auctioned directly on the spot, and you will be the richest man in California, and all the prime commercial properties in San Francisco will belong to you."
Liang Yao was not interested in looking at the evidence in Stanford's hand. He just asked Stanford, "Mr. Stanford, as far as I know, Brannan treats you well. Why did you do this?"
"Brannan has committed many crimes and deserves to be brought to justice as a warning to others. This is the responsibility of every conscious citizen."
"It seems that you have a high level of awareness."
"Of course, I was lurking around Brannan just to get these incriminating evidences."
Of course Liang Yao would not believe these lies from Stanford. Stanford came to him simply because he saw that the situation was not good and he was just trying to change his attitude according to the situation.
Besides, he didn't have time to wait for the court to rule on Brannan.
"Mr. Stanford, what do you want from me? Evidence of my crime?"
"Mr. Liang, you're joking. As far as I know, all of Mr. Liang's assets are legally acquired and protected by law." Stanford explained his purpose.
"I know that you now own a lot of land in San Francisco and Sacramento. I want to set up a railway company and build a railway from San Francisco to Sacramento. The railway needs to pass through your private territory and requires your permission. Of course, you can also invest in my railway company and become a major shareholder."
Stanford has a sharp vision. Liang Yao had already planned to lay railways in San Francisco and Sacramento.
But before that, he had to defeat Brannan and completely gain control of San Francisco.
Once the San Francisco and Sacramento lines are completed, connecting California's major gold-producing areas with its commercial districts, the profits will be beyond imagination.
Not only did he lay railroads, he also wanted to lay telegraph lines between San Francisco and Sacramento to facilitate communication between the two places.
The biggest obstacle to building basic transportation and communication facilities is land, and all the land is in his hands now. He has an advantage that no one else can match.
Liang Yao wanted to keep a firm grip on this area, which was related to the economic lifeline of California, and naturally there was no way he could share a piece of the pie with an unknown junior like Stanford.
Furthermore, the conditions offered by Stanford could not impress him.
"Stanford, you are too ambitious." Liang Yao rejected Stanford's proposal. "I am not interested in your proposal. Secondly, I also doubt whether you have enough financial resources to carry out such a huge project."
Stanford's expression became very ugly, almost distorted, and his eyes looking at Liang Yao became more sinister: "Mr. Liang, why don't you reconsider it? I think Mr. Ge Wen will also be very interested in this proposal."
"Mr. Ge Wen has just invested in the United Mining Company. I think in the short term, Mr. Ge Wen will not be interested in this kind of project that requires long-term huge investment to have a return. If you think Mr. Ge Wen is interested, you can talk to Mr. Ge Wen first."
Liang Yao said coldly that if Stanford thought that Ge Wen could suppress him, he was wrong. Ge Wen was just a frustrated politician. He and Ge Wen were in a cooperative relationship, each taking what they needed.
"Mr. Liang"
"Someone needs to take over the casino and brothel in Brannan, but at present, its scale is still too small and far from meeting the needs of the market."
"I understand. I am willing to take over and manage these two businesses for you." Stanford suddenly perked up. "I know some human traffickers in Central America. I know what to do. Girls there are cheaper than American girls."
"Go ahead." Liang Yao sent Stanford away, got up and went to the restaurant on the first floor for breakfast.